Nancy, I’m a new runner who is hoping to lose weight but I’m not having much success. I’m fighting bad cravings for sweets and end up eating The Jellybean Diet. Help!

The jellybean diet ... sounds to me like you are getting too hungry. That is, craving sweets means you have gotten too hungry and your body is screaming for quick energy. The solution is to prevent hunger by eating more quality food at breakfast and lunch. Target about 500 calories at each of those two meals, and you’ll find you feel better, have more energy, run better, are in a better mood throughout the day, are more productive, and are not hankering for jelly beans in the afternoon.

If you want to lose undesired body fat, your goal should be to fuel adequately during the day, and then eat a little less at the end of the day. The best time to lose weight is when you are sleeping, not when you are trying to run and function during the day.

If you want some more specific guidance on how to lose weight and have energy to exercise, I recommend my Food Guide for New Runners: Getting It Right the First Time. You might find helpful the strong section on weight, sweets cravings, and dieting. Or better yet, meet with a sports dietitian for personalized advice. You can find a local RD by using the referral network at

www.SCANdpg.org

Nancy Clark MS RD

In comparison to red meat, which is among the best sources of iron, spinach is a fair source of  iron. The recommended daily intake for iron is 8 milligrams for men and 18 milligrams for women. A half-cup serving of cooked spinach contains about 2 milligrams of iron. Because cooking has minimal effect upon the iron content in spinach, the equivalent amount of uncooked spinach offers the same amount of iron. (That is, you need to eat about 2 cups of raw spinach to equate to 1/2 cup of cooked spinach)

Due to the presence of oxylates (organic acids that naturally occur in foods), the iron in both raw and cooked spinach tends to be poorly absorbed by the body. However, if you eat spinach with some type of animal protein, such as putting turkey in a spinach salad or serving cooked spinach along with a chicken dinner, your body can better absorb the iron.

To boost your iron intake, I also recommend you eat a source of vitamin C at each meal, such as —

-drink orange juice with breakfast

-adding tomato slices to your lunch-time sandwich

-and enjoying broccoli with dinner.

Cooking in a cast iron skillet can also boost your iron intake--especially if you cook an acidic food, such as tomato sauce, in the skillet. Another option is to choose iron-enriched breakfast cereals, such as Wheaties. Non-meat eaters have many ways to consume adequate iron, and reduce their risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia.

Perhaps more remarkable than it’s iron content (of which only 3% is absorbable), spinach is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, folic acid, magnesium, potassium and several other nutrients that are an important part of your sports diet. Pop-eye was strong to the finish for several reasons--the least of which was the iron in spinach! Yet, I do encourage you to keep eating your spinach for the other nutrients is contains.